Continuous rod making machines

ABSTRACT

This invention is concerned with a fluted deflector drum which receives axially moving cigarettes or the like and decelerates them by means of suction in the drum applied through ports in the flutes. In order to adjust the deceleration, part of the drum is surrounded by a cowl formed with apertures which can be selectively closed to provide a variable restriction against air flow produced by the suction in the drum.

United States Patent 1 3,667,587

Preston 51 June 6, 1972 54] CONTINUOUS ROD MAKING 3,535,003 10 1970 Rudszinat ..l98/3l AA MACHINES FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 72It:EddG.PrestLd 1 or war England 1,277,729 9/1968 Germany ..19s/31 AA [73] Assignee: Molens, Limited, London, England 1,537,029 7/1968 France 198/31 AA [22] Filed: 1970 Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka [21] Appl. No.: 28,800 AttorneyMarkva & Smith [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data This invention is concerned with a fluted deflector drum Apr. 18, 1969 Great Br ta n ..20,000/69 Which receives axially moving cigarettes or the like and Jan. 9, 1970 Great Britain ..1,192/70 decelerates them by means f suction in the drum applied through ports in the flutes. In order to adjust the deceleration, US. Cl. part of the drum is surrounded a cowl formed aper. [51] Int. CI ..B65g 47/26 t r which can be selectively closed to provide a variable Field 01. Search 31 131/25 restriction against air flow produced by the suction in the drum. [56] References Cited 10 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,039,589 6/1962 Molins ..l98/31 AA PATENTEDJUH 6 :972 3,667, 587

moooooooo U 0000000000 0 fooooooooooafl Lmoo ooooo 0 g wooooooooo 0 oaoaaoooo o 0 "000 O 000 O O :l G MACHINES The present invention relates to continuous rod making machines and more particularly to apparatus for receiving cigarettes or similar rod-like articles from the cut-off of a machine which forms the rod initially as a continuous axially moving rod.

Cigarettes or cigarette filters cut from a rod in a continuous rod making machine are, in some machines, delivered on to a deflector drum which can then in turn deliver the cigarette rods or filters on to a catcher band or on to a further drum. The cigarette or filter rods leaving the cigarette or filter making machine are travelling at appreciable speed and some means has to be provided for decelerating them as they enter flutes formed in the periphery of the deflector drum.

One form of deflector drum is described for example in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,589, to Desmand W. Malins et al. The present invention is concerned with an improved arrangement which enables the degree of deceleration to be more finely controlled.

A deflector drum according to this invention includes means for connecting a source of suction to the interior of the drum, ports in the flutes through which the suction will act to decelerate the articles in the flutes, and an adjustable device by which the air flow through the ports can be restricted to a variable degree to control the force with which the articles are pressed against the drum as a result of the suction.

In a preferred arrangement the adjustable device for ad justably restricting the air flow through the suction ports in the flutes comprises a cowl which partly surrounds the drum and has apertures through which the air drawn in by the suction in the drum passes. By selectively closing some of the apertures in the cowl the degree of restriction against air flow can be adjusted so as to adjust the force (created by the differential air pressure) with which each article is pressed against the drum at various positions along the drum; thus the position at which the article is brought to a halt on the drum can be made finely adjustable. Moreover, in the case of a deflector drum which is arranged to form the articles into two separate rows, the stopping points of the articles in the two rows can be made separately adjustable.

This invention is particularly useful for high-speed machines which make for example 4,000 cigarettes per minute.

How the invention may be carried out will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a deflector drum constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the valve sleeve inside the drum; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line IIIIII shown in FIGS 1 and 2.

The invention will be described in connection with its application to a cigarette-making machine associated with a filter plug assembler (i.e. a machine forjoining filters on to the ends of the cigarettes) although it is not restricted to this application as the deflector drum according to the invention could be used for example on a cigarette-filter making machine, or on a cigarette making machine making cigarettes which are not subsequently provided with filters.

The cigarette making machine (not shown) produces a continuous axially moving stream 1 of cigarettes which are cut from a continuous cigarette rod by a cut-off (not shown) and are then fed on to a deflector drum 2 by a suction wheel 3 having a helical groove and constructed and operating in the manner disclosed in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,589 to Desmond W. Malins et al.

The deflector drum 2 has flutes 4, alternate flutes 4A and 48 having stops 5A and 5B respectively to form two rows of cigarettes, in the manner described in British Pat. No. 875,330.

Each of the flutes 4 has a group of suction ports 6A or 6B (for example four ports in each flute as shown) formed in the base of the flute arid each of the stops SA and 5B is also provided with a suction port by which a cigarette length can be drawn against the stop; the suction port SC in the face of each stop 58 is shown in FIG. 3 and there are similar ports in the stops 5A.

It should be noted that the group of suction ports 6 in each flute is situated adjacent to the corresponding stop 5A or 513. Each cigarette entering a flute 4A passes along about half the length of the drum before the deceleration by suction starts. On the other hand the deceleration by suction of the cigarettes entering the flutes 4B begin much earlier in order to bring these cigarettes to a halt on the drum just short of the stops 5B. The groups of ports in the flutes 4A and 43 respectively are staggered so that the air flows through them can be separately controlled.

A cowl 7, in the form of an arcuate plate, for example of perspex or metal, is fixed in a stationary position around part of the deflector drum, although the cowl 7 extends substantially along the whole length of the drum. The cowl 7 is formed with a large number of regularly spaced apertures 8 through which air can be drawn by the suction applied to the ports 6 in the deflector drum as the deflector drum passes beneath the cowl 7.

The deceleration force on a particular cigarette upon entering a flute 4 is dependent upon the frictional force between the surface of the cigarette and the base of the flute with which it is in contact. This frictional force is in turn dependent upon the pressure differential applied to the cigarette as a result of the suction transmitted by the ports 6; that is to say the difference between the pressure within the ports 6 and the pressure around the outer surface of the cigarette (i.e. between the cigarette and the cowl). This pressure differential can be varied at various positions along the length of the drum by closing some of the apertures 8 so as to control the degree of restriction against air flow through the cow]. More specifically, if for example a group of apertures indicated generally as A were closed, then the suction applied to the series of suction ports 68 generally indicated by B would be less elfective in decelerating the cigarette lengths than would be the suction applied to ports 68 which did not pass beneath the closed batch of apertures A in the cow] 7. In general the more apertures 8 that are closed, the less will be the deceleration force on each cigarette.

Thus by suitable experimentation a pattern of closed and open apertures 8 can be determined, for a given machine, which will give the desired deceleration of the cigarettes so that each is brought substantially to a halt just before reaching its associated stop and is then sucked against the stop by suction applied through the suction port in the stop.

It will be appreciated that the apertures 8 round the suction ports 6A in the flutes 4A can be treated separately. Thus the deceleration and stopping points of the cigarettes respectively in the flutes 4A and 4B can be separately adjusted.

The timing of the admission of suction is achieved by means of a valve sleeve 9 shown in plan view in FIG. 2. Suction is connected to the inside of the valve sleeve through an end pipe 10 and is connected to the suction ports 6A and 68 respectively via openings 10A and 10B in the sleeve. The opening 108 cannot extend completely over the length of the groups of suction ports 68 because there is a bearing (not shown) in the right-hand end of the sleeve. However, the sleeve is cut away partially over area 1 l to enable the first port 613 in each flute to receive some suction pressure from the opening 108.

Suction is admitted to the ports in the stops via slots 12A and 128 in the valve sleeve. These slots extend over the same arc of the valve sleeve and are positioned so as to start admitting suction to the ports in the stops only after both rows of cigarettes (i.e., in the flutes 4A and 48 respectively) have been brought to a halt on the drum by the suction transmitted via the openings 10A and 10B in the sleeve. Accordingly the suction applied through the stops does not influence the rates of deceleration and the stopping points of the cigarettes.

While the cigarettes are being sucked towards their stops the cowl 7 co-operates with the fluted drum, being a close fit round the drum, to form virtually complete tubes enclosing the cigarettes. Thus suction is applied through the stops (or alternatively from ports in the flutes immediately adjacent to the stops) to spaces at the left-hand ends of the cigarettes while the right-hand ends are substantially at atmospheric pressure, so that the pressure differential on the ends moves the cigarettes towards the stops. Alternatively the cigarettes could be blown towards the stops, for example, by means of nozzles mounted on the cowl.

After the supply of suction to the ports 6A and 6B has ceased, the cigarettes are held in the flutes by the cowl. The cigarettes may finally be delivered from the bottom of the deflector drum on to a band, or may be received by another fluted drum, to convey the cigarettes in two rows to a filter plug assembler. This assembler may then for example, in a known manner, join the cigarettes in the two rows to opposite ends of filter rods which are then cut in the middle to form two rows of filter-tipped cigarettes.

In the case of a machine for making cigarette filter rods, or for making plain cigarettes (i.e. without filter tips), the deflector drum may be shortened to receive the rods all in one row; that is to say, in this case the stops in the flutes would all be aligned and there would be only one suction opening 10 and one slot 12 in the vave sleeve.

The timing of the admission of suction to the suction ports 6A can be adjusted by setting the valve sleeve in various angular positions. That is to say, the valve sleeve can be rotated about its axis in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction into different positions as viewed in FIG. 3. This provides a coarse adjustment of the deceleration and stopping points of the cigarettes. A finer adjustment can be achieved by selectively closing some of the holes in the cowl, for example by means of individual or composite closure plugs or even by means of adhesive tape. The sleeve may for example have a flange (not shown) with arcuate slots through which clamping screws pass, so that the screws can lock the flange in any position within a limited range of rotation.

The provision of suction ports in or adjacent to the stops in order to pull the cigarettes gently against the stops is a feature which is useful in its own right. In other words, this feature can be used regardless of whether for example the deflector drum has a cowl like the cow] shown in the drawings. There should however at least be a cowl which extends between the stops and the adjacent ends of the cigarettes where they come to rest just short of the stops; preferably however the cowl extends further over the cigarettes so as to ensure that they cannot fall off the deflector drum, and the preferred arrangement is one in which there are holes 8 to provide for adjustment of the deceleration force on the cigarettes.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A fluted deflector drum for receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles from a continuous rod making machine comprising means for connecting a source of suction to the interior of the drum, ports in said flutes communicating with the interior of the drum through which the suction will act to decelerate said articles while moving along said flutes, a cowl surrounding at least a part of said drum, said cowl including a plurality of apertures therein for passage of air drawn by the suction in the drum, said suction, passing through said ports and said apertures, being adapted to bring said articles to rest in advance of a predetermined position in each of said flutes, and closure means for selectively closing at least one of said apertures in said cowl, whereby the flow of air through the apertures in said cowl may be regulated and the articles brought to rest substantially at said predetermined position.

2. A deflector drum according to claim l in which the flutes include stops and in which the adjustable device is so arranged that it can cause each article to be brought to a halt on the drum just short of the corresponding stop, and including means for subsequently moving each article to a position in engagement with the corresponding stop by means of a differential air pressure.

3. A deflector drum according to claim 2 including a suction port in or adjacent to each stop to suck each article towards its corresponding stop.

4. A deflector drum according to claim 1 in which alternate flutes have stops in alternate positions along the drum so as to form two rows of articles on the drum, the suction ports in alternate rows being in groups adjacent to their respective stops, and the pattern of apertures in the cowl being arranged to extend across both groups of suction ports, whereby selective closing of some of the apertures enables the deceleration of the two rows of articles to be separately adjusted.

5. A method of making cigarettes and other rod-like articles by cutting the articles from a continuous axially moving rod, in which the articles are received in successive flutes in a fluted deflector drum and are decelerated by means of suction in the drum applied through ports in the flutes while a cowl surrounds part of the drum and is formed with apertures through which air drawn in by the suction passes, some of the apertures being closed by removable closure means whereby the air flow through the apertures is reduced and the articles are brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in the flutes.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the deceleration of the articles by the action of the suction brings each article to a halt on the drum just short of a stop, and is then moved towards the stop by means of a differential air pressure to bring the article into engagement with the stop.

7. A method according to claim 6 in which the differential air pressure is produced by suction applied through a port in or adjacent to the stop.

8. A device for receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles fed in an axial direction from a continuous rod making machine comprising a. conveyor means having a plurality of parallel flutes for receiving said articles successively,

b. ports in said flutes,

c. fixed apertured means for enclosing said articles in said flutes,

d. means for connecting a source of suction to said ports whereby air is caused to flow through the apertured means and said ports to bring said articles to rest, and

e. means for regulating the flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means,

f. whereby the flow of air through the apertures and the ports may be regulated and the articles brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in each of said flutes.

9. A method of receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles fed in an axial direction from a continuous rod making machine comprising a. receiving the articles in successive flutes on a conveyor means while passing adjacent fixed apertured means enclosing the articles in the flutes,

b. applying suction to ports in said flutes causing flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means and the ports to decelerate said articles while moving along said flutes, and

c. regulating the flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means whereby the articles may be brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in each of said flutes.

10. A device for receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles fed in an axial direction from a continuous rod making machine, comprising a. conveyor means having a plurality of parallel flutes for receiving said articles successively,

b. ports in said flutes,

c. fixed apertured means for enclosing said articles in said flutes,

d. means for producing a differential between the air pressure respectively in said flutes and in said ports for pressing the articles against the conveyor means to decelerate the articles, and

e. means for regulating the flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means, f. whereby the articles can be brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in each of said flutes.

* I! I l i 5 

1. A fluted deflector drum for receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles from a continuous rod making machine comprising means for connecting a source of suction to the interior of the drum, ports in said flutes communicating with the interior of the drum through which the suction will act to decelerate said articles while moving along said flutes, a cowl surrounding at least a part of said drum, said cowl including a plurality of apertures therein for passage of air drawn by the suction in the drum, said suction, passing through said ports and said apertures, being adapted to bring said articles to rest in advance of a predetermined position in each of said flutes, and closure means for selectively closing at least one of said apertures in said cowl, whereby the flow of air through the apertures in said cowl may be regulated and the articles brought to rest substantially at said predetermined position.
 2. A deflector drum according to claim 1 in which the flutes include stops and in which the adjustable device is so arranged that it can cause each article to be brought to a halt on the drum just short of the corresponding stop, and including means for subsequently moving each article to a position in engagement with the corresponding stop by means of a differential air pressure.
 3. A deflector drum according to claim 2 including a suction port in or adjacent to each stop to suck each article towards its corresponding stop.
 4. A deflector drum according to claim 1 in which alternate flutes have stops in alternate positions along the drum so as to form two rows of articles on the drum, the suction ports in alternate rows being in groups adjacent to their respective stops, and the pattern of apertures in the cowl being arranged to extend across both groups of suction ports, whereby selective closing of some of the apertures enables the deceleration of the two rows of articles to be separately adjusted.
 5. A method of making cigarettes and other rod-like articles by cutting the articles from a continuous axially moving rod, in which the articles are received in successive flutes in a fluted deflector drum and are decelerated by means of suction in the drum applied through ports in the flutes while a cowl surrounds part of the drum and is formed with apertures through which air drawn in by the suction passes, some of the apertures being closed by removable closure means whereby the air flow through the apertures is reduced and the articles are brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in the flutes.
 6. A method according to claim 5 in which the deceleration of the articles by the action of the suction brings each article to a halt on the drum just short of a stop, and is then moved towards the stop by means of a differential air pressure to bring the article into engagement with the stop.
 7. A method according to claim 6 in which the differential air pressure is produced by suction applied through a port in or adjacent to the stop.
 8. A device for receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles fed in an axial direction from a continuous rod making machine comprising a. conveyor means having a plurality of parallel flutes for receiving said articles successively, b. ports in said flutes, c. fixed apertured means for enclosing said articles in said flutes, d. means for connecting a source of suction to said ports whereby air is caused to flow through the apertured means and said ports to bring said articles to rest, and e. means for regulating the flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means, f. whereby the flow of air through the apertures and the ports may be reGulated and the articles brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in each of said flutes.
 9. A method of receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles fed in an axial direction from a continuous rod making machine comprising a. receiving the articles in successive flutes on a conveyor means while passing adjacent fixed apertured means enclosing the articles in the flutes, b. applying suction to ports in said flutes causing flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means and the ports to decelerate said articles while moving along said flutes, and c. regulating the flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means whereby the articles may be brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in each of said flutes.
 10. A device for receiving cigarettes or other rod-like articles fed in an axial direction from a continuous rod making machine, comprising a. conveyor means having a plurality of parallel flutes for receiving said articles successively, b. ports in said flutes, c. fixed apertured means for enclosing said articles in said flutes, d. means for producing a differential between the air pressure respectively in said flutes and in said ports for pressing the articles against the conveyor means to decelerate the articles, and e. means for regulating the flow of air through the apertures in said apertured means, f. whereby the articles can be brought to rest substantially at a predetermined position in each of said flutes. 